Get a search crew together - the Raiders' rushing offense is missing in inaction.

Darren McFadden hasn't been spotted since knee surgery Oct. 5. There hasn't been a single Justin Fargas sighting in the end zone. Michael Bush vanishes at the scrimmage line, rarely to be seen on the daylight side of the hole.

Wherever this six-legged run game has gone, the Raiders hope what has been lost is found when they play the Chargers and their 28th-ranked run defense today at Qualcomm Stadium.

"We have to put ourselves in position where we can run the ball and we can stick to running the ball," Fargas said. "We can't spot teams 14 points."

Sure they can. The Raiders do it all the time. A few of their halftime deficits this year: 24-0 to the Jets, 31-7 to the Giants and 20-6 to the Texans.

Trailing big and early leaves the Raiders to play catch-up, and the only way to do that is to let the NFL's worst passing offense do more than should be legally allowed.

In turn, Oakland has all but abandoned the only thing it does well - run the ball, then run it some more. Five times, the Raiders have run 12 or fewer times in the second half. Five times, they've lost.

"We have to play where we can run the ball," tight end Zach Miller said. "When we get taken out of running the ball, we're not a very good team. Our passing offense just isn't good enough.

"We've been trying to get back to that every week here."

It's not working.

The Raiders rank 26th in rushing offense with 92.9 yards per game. That's after ranking 10th in the NFL last season and sixth the year before.

None of their esteemed backs has rushed for 100 yards in a game. The entire team has been kept to less than 100 rushing yards in four of seven games.

If the Raiders want a 1,000-yard rusher, they might have to squeeze all three backs together under the name Justin McBush. None has more than 204 rushing yards, and midseason is upon them.

"We do have a good run game," Bush said. "When we get up and come out like we're supposed to, we can stick to the run game."

It happened in Week 1 against the Chargers. The Raiders pounded the ball like they haven't since then, 22 times for 105 first-half yards. They haven't cracked 70 yards in a half since then.

So, what has gone so wrong since that Monday night outburst?

Injuries have forced the offensive line to juggle new starters at three of five positions, and it shows. Small run lanes and smaller cutback seams leave nowhere to go, no matter who the running back is.

"We have to get back to being physical up front," Miller said. "We've just got to keep pushing and pushing."

Cut down on the 18 turnovers. Keep the score within running distance. Convert play-action passes to make creeping defenses pay. Keep the down-and-yards-to-go on a manageable schedule.

In short, force the opponents to stop the run game instead of stopping it for them. Seriously, if the Raiders' defense could contain the run as well as the Raiders' offense does, they wouldn't be having this 2-5 conversation.

"Running the ball is our strength," right tackle Khalif Barnes said. "We get everything on the same page, the running game will take care of itself. That's how that works."

Raiders (2-5) at Chargers (3-3)

1:05 p.m., Channel: 5 Channel: 13 Channel: 46 560, Spanish 1370.

SPOTLIGHT ON

The Chargers' offense has evolved from the L.T. Express to the remaking of the Dan Fouts Air Show, starring Gates as the go-to receiver. He leads San Diego with 34 catches for 474 yards, with five for 83 yards in the season opener at Oakland. Branch leads all NFL safeties with 55 tackles. He must use his speed and strength to hang with the 6-foot-4, 260-pound tight end on the line or in the slot, particularly on third downs. Branch might need help from free safety Michael Huff or a linebacker for this to work.

FINAL WORD

The Raiders have lost 12 straight to the Chargers, the longest stretch of futility in team history. San Diego coach Norv Turner's thumb prints are on both sides of the streak. He's 5-0 coaching the Chargers against the Raiders, and 0-4 coaching the Raiders against the Chargers. "We've had close games," Turner said. The average score: Chargers, 28.3-13.3. - David White